(Adds text, updates numbers)
By Ambar Warrick
Sept 5 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies edged up on Tuesday
as a bit of appetite for risk returned one day after trading
volumes were slashed by North Korea's most powerful bomb test.
"Beyond the initial dips in risk assets and bids in safe
havens early Monday, market sentiment has proved to be fairly
resilient, rightly seeing through the current North Korean
tensions as a continuous drama that waxes and (usually) wanes,"
Mizuho Bank said in a research note.
The Singapore dollar inched up against the U.S.
dollar, after a survey showed activity in the export-heavy
economy's factories expanding at its fastest pace in almost
three years in August.
The South Korean won edged up slightly against
the dollar after falling to a near two-week low on Monday, the
day after North Korea tested what it said was an advanced
hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile..
While the won has been undermined by simmering tensions in
the Korean peninsula, South Korea's economy has seen fairly
strong growth this year.
The country's current account surplus widened to a
five-month high in July at a seasonally adjusted $7.02 billion
from $5.08 billion in June, central bank data showed on Tuesday.
"While it has been stable against the dollar in a
1,110-1,160 range since April, the won suffered knee-jerk
sell-offs whenever North Korea’s missile tests provoked the
United States," DBS Group said in a research note.
The Thai baht and the Indian rupee edged
down slightly.
PHILIPPINE PESO
The Philippine peso edged up to a near two-week
high against the dollar on Tuesday.
The annual inflation rate quickened for the second straight
month in August to 3.1 percent, from 2.8 percent in July, due
mainly to higher food prices.
"The impact of the inflation data is relatively limited on
the peso. Rather, markets have been looking at the nation's
balance sheet, which is expected to be much weaker and as such,
the peso has been underperforming among Asian currencies," said
Gao Qi, a Singapore-based FX strategist at Scotiabank.
CHINESE YUAN
The Chinese yuan, which rose against the dollar in the past
three sessions, fell from a 15-1/2 month high against the
greenback.
It was not impacted by a private survey showing the services
sector in August expanded more quickly, underpinning views that
the world's second-largest net creditor remains on solid
footing.
The Caixin/Markit services purchasing managers' index rose
to 52.7 in August, its highest reading in three months, from
51.5 in July.
The official midpoint fixing for the yuan "was set higher
than what the market expected, which could explain the slight
decline in the yuan today," said Gao.
The following table shows rates for Asian currencies against
the dollar at 0433 GMT
Change on the day at
0433 GMT
Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move
Japan yen 109.270 109.72 +0.41
Sing dlr 1.355 1.3566 +0.14
Taiwan dlr 30.049 30.101 +0.17
Korean won 1132.500 1133 +0.04
Baht 33.170 33.171 +0.00
Peso 51.140 51.165 +0.05
Rupiah 13339.000 13341 +0.01
Rupee 64.130 64.05 -0.12
Ringgit 4.266 4.269 +0.07
Yuan 6.541 6.5320 -0.13
Change so far in 2017
Currency Latest bid End 2016 Pct Move
Japan yen 109.270 117.07 +7.14
Sing dlr 1.355 1.4490 +6.96
Taiwan dlr 30.049 32.279 +7.42
Korean won 1132.500 1207.70 +6.64
Baht 33.170 35.80 +7.93
Peso 51.140 49.72 -2.78
Rupiah 13339.000 13470 +0.98
Rupee 64.130 67.92 +5.91
Ringgit 4.266 4.4845 +5.12
Yuan 6.541 6.9467 +6.21
(Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard
Borsuk)